Human West Nile case seen in region

Published 12:00 am, Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Macoupin County has recorded its first case of West Nile infection in a human this year, marking the first human case in Illinois reported outside of the Chicago area and the first reported in Macoupin County since about 2003.

Chicago has seen 18 cases of the virus in humans this year — low numbers compared to previous years, Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold said.

“It’s been a relatively slow season. We haven’t seen too many human cases,” she said.

The infection is the result of a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. In extreme cases, the infection can lead to brain inflammation and death.

There have been 19 confirmed cases of the West Nile virus infecting humans this year in the state. Of those cases, two have resulted in death, Arnold said.

In 2013, there were 117 confirmed cases of the infection in humans. This year, there have been 1,210 positive mosquito batches and 34 birds confirmed to be carrying the virus, which has been found in 48 counties.

“We’ve seen cases since 2002. In fact in 2002, we had the highest number of cases in the country,” Arnold said. “In 2012, we saw another spike.”

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, about one in five people affected by the virus develop symptoms and less than 1 percent develop a serious illness that can lead to death.

Arnold said most people who get the virus do not show symptoms and their body fights it on its own. Those who show minor symptoms can have a fever or a headache. The more severe cases can cause a high fever, convulsions, paralysis and body aches.

There is no vaccination against the virus and people have to take precautions by wearing insect repellent and protective clothing.

Arnold said that although the weather is cooling off, it is still important to be protected against mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are typically active between June and September, but can stay active until the first real frost of the season.

“It may seem like it’s fall and it’s cooling off and you don’t have to worry about West Nile Virus anymore, but you should still take precautions, use insect repellent and watch the time between dusk and dawn,” Arnold said. “It’s still out there and mosquitoes are still active.”